AI is reshaping how products are built and businesses operate — but many startups hit a wall when it comes to building the right team to bring their AI ambitions to life.
In this panel, engineering and talent leaders will explore how to navigate the AI talent crunch: from knowing which skills to prioritize, to deciding when to hire vs. train, to building an engineering culture that’s ready for AI integration.
Whether you're launching your first AI project or scaling a full machine learning team, we’ll cover strategies that work. Topics include:
The core AI and ML skills that actually matter for startup teams.
How to stand out in a competitive hiring market — and win over top AI talent.
When it makes sense to reskill existing engineers vs. hiring specialists.
Best practices for embedding AI capabilities into traditional software orgs.
Common missteps in hiring and workforce planning — and how to avoid them.
You'll leave with a clearer framework for scaling AI talent inside your organization, no matter where you're starting from.
This session is part of Startup Boston Week 2025 and is designed for CTOs, VPs of Engineering, engineering managers, and tech recruiters at Series B+ startups looking to build AI capabilities while growing high-impact teams.
